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The 2019 North American SCRABBLE Championship (previously known as the National SCRABBLE Championship) will take place on July 20-24, 2019 at the Silver Legacy Resort, 407 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89501, and Reno Ballroom, 401 N. Center St. Reno, NV 89501. This webpage will be updated regularly as additional details became available.

Registration

The rest of this section describes in detail the various terms and conditions of registration, most of which are also discussed on the registration form.

Eligibility

To play in the NASC, you must (1) be a NASPA member, and (2) have played in an officially
sanctioned SCRABBLE tournament to earn an official tournament rating.
If you live in the United States or Canada, that rating should be a NASPA rating; if you live elsewhere it may be
a WESPA rating or other comparable national rating.

TWL Divisions

If you meet the eligibility criteria and wish to play using the Official Club and Tournament Word List 2018 (TWL), you may do so. Four TWL divisions will be offered, divided by Qualification Rating (QR), with unlimited play-up available. If your QR is 1800 or higher, or if you do not have a NASPA rating, you must play in Division 1. If your QR is in the range 1400–1799, you must play in Division 1 or 2. If your QR is in the range 1100–1399, you must play in Division 1, 2 or 3. If your QR is below 1100, you may play in any of the four divisions.

Your QR consists of the highest tournament rating attained at the end of any NASPA TWL-rated tournament (or segment of a split-rated tournament) which finished during the period from August 4, 2018 to July 11, 2019 (the start of last year's Championship to the close of registration). If you have a rating, but do not play during this period, your QR is your unchanged current rating.

Collins Divisions

If you meet the eligibility criteria and prefer to play using the international Collins (CSW) lexicon, you may do so. If your Collins Qualification Rating (CQR) is 1500 or higher, you must play in Division 1. If it is 1499 or below, you may play in Division 1 or 2. Players who only have a WESPA rating will be permitted to play in Division 1 or 2 if that rating is 1399 or below. If there are fewer than 20 players registered in either division as of June 20, 2019, the divisions will be automatically combined into a single division.

The Collins division will be run using NASPA rules, except that the Collins lexicon will be used and the challenge penalty will be 5 points per word. The Collins division will be NASPA and WESPA rated.

Player division assignments will be reviewed after July 11, 2019 to ensure that everyone is registered in the correct division. If the division in which you registered is not one in which your QR permits you to play, we will automatically move you up to the lowest permissible division.

Entry Fees

The base entry fee for all divisions is $200.

Youths, defined as those whose 18th birthday is after July 24, 2019, may pay $100 to play in any division.

The above fees will be increased by $50 after May 31, 2019. For example, a non-youth player signing up on June 1, 2015 would pay $250, while a youth would pay $150.

Players accepted after the close of registration on July 11, 2019 must pay a $75 late penalty. For example, a non-youth player signing up on July 13, 2019 would pay $325, while a youth would pay $225. Acceptance of registrants after July 11, 2019 is not guaranteed, and will generally only be permitted if it does not cause a division to be uneven.

Players not staying at the host hotel for the duration of the event must also pay a commuter/facility fee of $20 per day ($100 maximum). The commuter fee does not apply to those local to the Reno area. Verification of status as a hotel guest will be performed at registration/check-in and throughout the event. Players staying at the host hotel for only part of the event must pay the full commuter fee, and may then apply for a refund of $20 per day stayed at the host hotel (to a maximum of $100) after the conclusion of the event, by providing the Championship Committee with hotel confirmation number and dates of stay.

Fees payable are computed based on when (Eastern Time) funds are received in full. If you are not paying right away online at the moment when you register, please be sure to allow enough time for your mailed payment to reach us.

Division Changes

Division changes are subject to the following conditions:

Division changes are subject to a $25 fee.

Fee will be waived if request is sent within 24 hours of initial registration.

After registration closes on July 11, 2019, if your division change would increase the number of players who may potentially have to have byes (if you would make two divisions odd, or would make a smaller division odd), you will be waitlisted until this is not the case.

If your rating rises above the limit for the division in
which you registered, you will automatically be moved to the lowest division for which you qualify.

Refunds

If you paid your tournament fees by credit card, any credit owing to you will be issued to your card; otherwise, we will mail a check to your membership address as shown in your member profile.
No refunds will be issued after the refund deadlines described below.

All refunds are subject to a cancellation fee of $25.

If you decide you need to cancel your registration, we will
refund your entry fee (and commuter fee, if applicable), if you so request by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 11, 2019.

Conditions

Rules, Code and Terms/Conditions

By registering for the NASC, you agree to abide by the NASPA Tournament Rules and Code of Conduct, and agree to comply with the 2019 North American SCRABBLE Championship Terms and Conditions.
In particular, some games at this tournament, probably the highest Division 1 board without a Gibsonized player,
will be annotated live.
If you refuse to play a designated game with annotation,
you will forfeit it, and may at the director’s discretion be assigned a spread penalty of −200 points.

Minor Release

A Minor Release and Consent Form will be required for all players under age 18 as of July 20, 2019, and may be downloaded and submitted in advance, or executed by a parent or guardian at registration.

Player Bulletin

Please read our
Player Bulletin, and check
it again for last-minute updates before you travel to the event.

Equipment Required

Participants in the 2019 North American Scrabble Championship are responsible for bringing all equipment necessary to play in the tournament. If neither player in a game has equipment available for their game, a double forfeit may be imposed.

Changes

The Championship Committee reserves the right to
modify the above to account for unforeseen
special circumstances.

Format

Players will paired using tsh, with Gibsonization.
The winners of the top divisions in both TWL and CSW lexicons shall be determined as follows:

After Round 30, the top two players (as determined by record and spread) will enter a best of three playoff to determine champion and runner-up. Players not in the top two after Round 30 in these divisions, as well as all players in other divisions, will complete Round 31 to determine their final standing. A break between Rounds 31 and 32 will allow players to view the live stream from Silver Baron A, where the Awards Ceremony will take place immediately after the conclusion of the playoffs.

Hotel/Travel Information

Hotel Registration

The official event hotel is the Silver Legacy Resort at 407 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89501. Online registration is available at this link or you may call the hotel at 800-687-8733 and use the group code NASPA19 to receive our group rate. Tournament entrants are eligible for our special king room rate of $140/night on Friday-Saturday ($150 for double queen), and $70/night Sunday-Thursday ($80 for double queen). All bookings subject to $10 per add'l adult per room per night; plus tax and $25/night in resort and facility fees at the event hotel - use booking code NASPA19.

A limited number of rooms are also available at the Circus Circus Reno at $130/night Friday-Saturday and $60/night Sunday-Thursday (subject to same resort fees & taxes and upcharges of $10 per add'l adult per night and $10 per night for double queen rooms). They can be booked using this link or by calling 800-648-5010 and requesting rate code NASPA19.

Those who live outside of the Reno area and do not either book a room at the host hotel or book a room within our group block at one of the other hotels listed below, will pay a $100 facility fee to contribute the cost of the venue space. The midweek rate will be available before the event from July 21-25, 2019. Late departures will also be accommodated at the group rate subject to availability, but the group rate is not available for the weekend following the event.

Hotel bookings at our group rate are subject to availability within our group rate block of rooms, and must be booked before June 15, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

The Silver Legacy is located down the block from the Reno Ballroom, 401 N. Center St. Reno, NV 89501, where tournament play will be conducted. Many after-hours activities will be held in the Silver Legacy meeting rooms.

Hotel and Event Parking

Dining

The Silver Legacy and its partner properties boast 21 different eateries, catering to all tastes and budgets. To view the many restaurant options available in Reno, Nevada, please visit the Reno Restaurants Page on the Visit Reno-Tahoe website.

Sightseeing

There is much to see and do in the Reno-Tahoe region. Local attractions and activities can be explored on the Events Page of the Visit Reno-Tahoe website.

Roommate Wanted

IMPORTANT: When you get your roommate, please contact the committee so we can remove your listing.

Ride Wanted

If you need a ride/rider to or from the tournament, and would like a listing here, please complete the NASC Ride Request Form.

IMPORTANT: When you get your ride/rider, please contact the committee so we can remove your listing.

Airport Transport Information

Reno, Nevada is served by the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. For complete airport information, please visit www.renoairport.com.

Airport Shuttle

The Silver Legacy offers a free hotel shuttle to guests of the resort. The shuttle departs from the airport on the quarters of the hour from 5:15am to 11:45pm. Upon your arrival at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, proceed to the baggage claim area and follow the signage directing you to the general airport shuttle area to board the Silver Legacy shuttle.

The Silver Legacy shuttle also offers complimentary transportation to guests from the hotel to the airport at the top and bottom of the hour from 5am until 11pm.

Many other hotels in the area also offer complimentary shuttle transportation. If you are not staying at the host hotel, please check with your property for shuttle information.

Check-In

To play in the first round on Saturday morning, you must check in between 10:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. on Friday, July 19, 2019, at the NASC registration desk (location to be announced later). You may ask a friend to check in for you by proxy, if you cannot check in in person. If possible, please email us at nsc@scrabbleplayers.org to notify us in advance of proxy arrangements. If you check in by proxy, but do not show up to play, then neither you nor your proxy will be permitted to check in by proxy at future events. If you do not check in before the desk closes at 7:00 P.M., you may join the championship in progress as soon as it is convenient for the pairings staff to add you back in; this may not take place before Sunday morning. No refund will be issued to latecomers.

When you check in, you will be given an announcement sheet. This is to reduce the number of announcements that have to be made on Saturday morning, so that the event can get underway quickly. You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the announcements and tournament schedule.

Schedule

This schedule for the 2019 North American SCRABBLE Championship may be modified to add new events, or possibly to change room locations. Also, until about a month before the event, it should be considered an early draft, with only the times for registration and the main event to be set in stone. Once the event begins,
please check this schedule for changes at the beginning of each day.

The Rose Award

Bob and Andi Schoenman, creators of Protiles, honor Rose Kreiswirth's memory. Rose was an expert Scrabble® player for over 30 years and cherished the game for its educational values. An accomplished player, Rose was as well known for her sense of fairness and her congeniality as she was for her competitiveness. The Rose Award will be awarded each year at the North American SCRABBLE Championship to a female player who, in the opinion of the judges, best exemplifies the fierce competitiveness and compassion that we remember Rose for. Thank you, Bob and Andi Schoenman!

Other Donors

If you are interested in donating prizes to events
at the championship, please email us at nsc@scrabbleplayers.org.

Sponsors

For information about sponsorship opportunities at
the championship, please contact Chris Cree.

Prizes

Full details about cash and merchandise prizes are listed on the prize table.